Apple not green enough to suit SF policy

ENVIRONMENT Certification changes mean computers are unwelcome

Published 11:04 pm, Wednesday, July 11, 2012

San Francisco has once again found itself at the vanguard of sustainable policymaking, but this time city officials say they're just following the rules.

The city that bans toys from fat-laden Happy Meals, bars plastic bags from supermarkets and mandates composting now has a new subject of concern, this one thrust into its lap: Apple computers.

With rare exceptions, San Francisco's 50 city departments will no longer be able to buy Apple laptops, desktop computers or monitors after the Cupertino tech giant pulled out of an international green electronics certification program last month with little explanation, city officials said. Apple's decision has also raised complications for other institutional purchasers, including the University of California system.

"San Francisco is not going to be able to purchase some Apple products," said Mayor Ed Lee's spokeswoman, Christine Falvey. "We're not happy about it, but we have our rules, and they're meant to protect the environment."

Apple's withdrawal from the certification program a few weeks ago has put it squarely at odds with a city government purchasing rule requiring that all personal computers, laptops and monitors purchased by city departments clearly meet strict environmental standards. Purchases of iPads and iPhones are not subject to the certification program or the city's restrictions.

The policy is patterned after federal regulations put in place under a January 2007 executive order from then-President George W. Bush.

Meeting standards

The international certification program, the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, helps easily identify products that have met certain environmental standards. It's little known outside procurement and electronic recycling circles, but government agencies, universities and other large organizations across the world use it as a purchasing guideline.

While Apple's move prompted San Francisco to follow its strict guidelines, the U.S. General Services Administration will likely continue buying the products because its guidelines allow for more exceptions.

"At this point, we don't anticipate that this will affect federal procurements" given the small percentage of federal Apple computer purchases, said Dan Cruz, a spokesman for the U.S. General Services Administration.

That won't likely be the case for the UC system, which in 2009 adopted a policy that requires all desktops, laptops and computer monitors it purchases to have at least achieved bronze status in the certification program. "It certainly has the potential to have a big impact, and we hope to find a solution to this very soon," said Benjamin Gold, a spokesman for UC Berkeley. "We are actively working with Apple and other administrations in the university system to figure out how we're going to address this."

Lack of explanation

Apple has given little reason for its decision to withdraw from a certification program that it helped create years ago. The company issued a two-sentence statement touting its environmental record but giving no direct explanation.

A company spokeswoman declined to comment. The policy implications for San Francisco were first reported on the Wall Street Journal's website.

Falvey stressed Wednesday the city isn't actively trying to ban Apple products. City officials are trying to consult with Apple on the company's certification decision. Waivers can also be granted in special circumstances, but approval is a lengthy process that requires a vote of the city's Committee on Information Technology, said Jon Walton, San Francisco's chief information officer.

"Most people who want to buy a computer or laptop don't want to wait a month or several months to get it approved," Walton said.

Apple products make up 500 to 700 of the city's roughly 15,000 computers and a tiny fraction of its overall technology purchases, Walton said. He estimated that of the city's almost $200 million annual information technology budget, about $45,000 went to Apple products.

"From the mayor's perspective, this is completely overblown," Falvey said. "The mayor has, and uses, his iPad."